This page presents all relevant good practice case studies that showcase how business have addressed the Health and safety dilemma. Case studies have been developed in close collaboration with a range of multi-national companies and relevant government, inter-governmental and civil society stakeholders. We also draw on public domain sources, including the UN Global Compact's own published Communications on Progress through which signatories are required to report on their performance against the Ten Principles.
The case studies explore the specific dilemmas and challenges faced by each organisation, good practice actions they have taken to resolve them and the results of such action. We reference challenges as well as achievements and invite you to submit commentary and suggestions through the Forum.
BASF: Health promotion campaign (Germany)
In 2009, BASF launched its second health promotion campaign, “Steps to Health” aimed to encourage employees to improve their health through increased activity. The employees participating in the campaign received a pedometer and also a health check. The initial health check measures blood pressure, pulse, weight, and fat percentage. The first round of this campaign, launched in 2007 gave rise to positive results. Of the 2,062 employees that participated in the programme, 708 attended the final health check. Of those 658 had lost weight and 440 of them had lowered their body mass index (BMI) by two points.
ETI and National Homeworker Group: Improving standards for homeworkers (India)
Homeworkers in India contracted to companies producing products for multinationals are often the most vulnerable members of the working population and often work in substandard conditions. As they are contracted out, they receive no sick pay, health and safety training or workplace compensation if they sustain an injury or become ill due to the working environment. To address these risks the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) teamed up with the National Homeworker Group, an organisation comprising of two NGOs, one union and contractors in 2002. In 2009 ETI and the National Homeworker Group implemented a programme that provided health and safety training to homeworkers. All-in-all, 4,300 homeworkers were trained on health and safety, as well as issues to do with quality. This partnership also addresses all other labour rights issues, such as a right to a living wage, written contract etc. Training included basic tools to ensure that health is improved, such as bringing a worker’s ceiling light closer to where they are working. It also provides advice on how to improve quality, to reduce product rejection rates, such as keeping sewing looms inside, so that the fabric does not fade. This programme originally focused on the Bareilly region, but in 2010 it announced that the programme would expand to the Delhi and Sangham Vihar regions after receiving funding from the UK Department of Development (DIFD). DIFD gave £230,000 to be rolled out in the next two years under its rags challenge fund. These funds will be used to reach to other homeworkers to combat “low wages, irregular work, lack of social protection, high rates of occupational injury, lack of access to training and information about rights and entitlements and weak bargaining power”.
Goldfields: Moving to a long-term health and safety strategy (Australia)
"Goldfields is one of the world’s largest unhedged producers of gold with attributable annualised production of 3.6 million gold equivalent ounces from eight operating mines in Australia, Ghana, Peru and South Africa. Goldfields also has an extensive and diverse global growth pipeline with four major projects in resource development and feasibility, with construction decisions expected in the next 18 to 24 months". In St Ives, Australia Goldfields has augmented the impact of narrow based ‘Lost Time Injury (LTI)-centric’ safety management, which is short-term in nature, by piloting an innovative approach based on Total Incident Frequency Rate (TIFR). This approach includes a broader range of measures with a direct or indirect impact on safety performance and attitudes, including environmental incidents, equipment damage and minor injuries. These are weighted accordingly. The TIFR provides a more holistic safety management measure that looks at risks, as well as outcomes. It also places greater emphasis on the links between individual safety performance and overall operational behaviour. In addition, the use of the TIFR also seeks to address concerns that over-reliance on LTIs places too many injured employees on restricted duties instead of being provided with comprehensive early treatment. Although prompt treatment generally gets injured employees back to full productivity much faster, it also results in higher LTI rates and detrimental performance assessments. Application of the TIFR measure has resulted in an initial increase in St Ives’ LTI rates. At the same time, however, significant improvements have been noticed in terms of returning employees and contractors into full productivity earlier. The TIFR is now a major variable used to assess employee and contractor performance and the company is looking at opportunities for its application beyond the mine.
Goldfields: Extending worker’s health beyond the working day (South Africa)
As part of its health and safety policy, Goldfields has extended its scope by not only implementing its comprehensive safety management programme for workplace health and safety, but extending this to the overall health of employees. This is named the “24 Hours in the Life of a Goldfield’s Employee Programme” and covers six main areas: (1) Learning: In 2010 the company established the Goldfields Business and Leadership Academy that provides a number of accredited training programmes, including practical training programmes; (2) Sport and recreation: In 2010 the company invested ZAR17.9 million (US$2.4 million) in encouraging employees to partake in sport, such as football and running. As of 2010, 5.4% of all South African employees participate in some type of formal sporting activity; (3) Accommodation and living conditions: Goldfields has improved onsite living accommodation, firstly, by reducing the number of employees per room from eight to two. Also, the company has distributed 24,000 new mattresses under its sleep deprivation programme; (4) “If we cannot mine safely, we will not mine”: an ongoing integration of the safety programme and the “Stop, Think, Fix, Verify and Continue” safety campaign; (5) Health care: all employees are subject to Health Risk Assessments, which proactively evaluate a range of health risks. This includes diseases related to lifestyle and HIV status. The aim is to provide a predictive picture of the employee to ensure preventative measures are taken so that sick leave is reduced. (6) Nutrition: standardising meal plans so that employees have access to a nutritious and balanced diet. Currently food provided onsite exceeds governmental guidelines. However, the company is also encouraging employees stick to nutritional guidelines outlined by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, which includes a recommended daily intake of 15,000 kj a day.
Website: By 
Maplecroft in partnership with the United Nations Global Compact
